La Paz -- Carnival & Mexican tourists

End of February and back in Cusco. My time in La Paz co-incided with Carnival and as the excitement built and things got busier, so did my project work with the deaf children. Outside the Hotel Rosario the street vendors set up ever more stalls of costumes, masks and colourful decorations until on the last day before Carnival they had almost obscured the door to the hotel.

Carnival is a strange collection of ceremony, revellry and (presumably) Catholic belief and as it is also the time of blessing the Earth for a good harvest, a lot of water gets thrown. Water symbolises fertility and abundance. This year, because of a water shortage, a decree prohibiting the throwing of water bombs had gone out. This did not deter anyone and plenty of balloons filled with water were thrown, sometimes dangerously. For some reason, water pistols and enormous 'guns' with reservoirs were OK -- or else the authorities turned a blind eye. Even worse were the cans of spray foam!

The amount of water thrown and alcohol consumed deterred me from all but the fringes of the festivities. The first day was devoted to the Children's parade, the second to a parade of Pepinos -- figures in costumes resembling Pierrot, but with masks and batons that were more Mr Punch. The third day was for regional dancers and on the fourth, people hold Cha'lla, a blessing for the earth and their houses. Mostly this is a private family affair but there was also a big Municipal Cha'lla at which the President was expected. That was the only part of Carnival that I participated in and, sadly, Evo Morales did not turn up.

Pachamama got her full due of alcohol at Cha'lla!! The main square had altars and bands of dancers and musicians at each of the 4 quarters and a central platform where the civic dignitaries gave their speeches and the shamen performed the ritual.I had bought flower petals from a street stall as these seemed to be the 'right' thing to offer for this day and when I saw a group of people gathered around some offerings, I approached and asked if I could add my flowers. I chose well -- these were the officiating shamen!! I got hugged by all and blessed with huge handfuls of confetti rubbed onto my head and handfuls of coca leaves to chew.

The main despacho contained many objects including the traditional llama foetus (and my flowers). It was placed on a small stack of palo santo - an aromatic and sacred wood -- and many prayers and blessings were said. Then each of the dignitaries circled the offering pouring alcohol from gourds. More prayers were said and the shamen all lit cigarettes and puffed a couple of times before putting them into the pile. I guess Pachamama is a smoker! The fire burned hot and fierce and when all was consumed and deemed accepted, the dancing began. I had gone to the festivities with Rose-Marie, a Canadian woman I met in the hotel. We were so obviously tourists that we were picked out by a TV crew and interviewed about where we came from and how we liked the city and the festival. Then we got pulled into the dancing, a fairly vigorous affair which left me coughing and spluttering for some time after it stopped. The whole ceremony must have lasted an hour or more, the sun blazed down on us and it was wonderful.

With all the extra crowds and tourists, the Carnival was also a great opportunity for thieves and people operating scams. I got targetted twice by the 'Mexican tourist scam'. The first time I was really taken in. A man claiming to be a Mexican tourist asked me to take his photo. We were near the Church La Merced and I assumed he wanted it in the background, but he asked me to go inside and take his picture near an altar. I obliged and then he asked for another at a different altar. As we went across the church, an 'official' came up flashing some sort of ID. I assumed we had been photographing in a forbidden place and so was ready to be apologetic, but then the 'official' asked for ID -- passport or credit card. My 'friend' handed over a credit card and it was deemed OK and handed back. I had gone out with no cards or passport, just the photocopy, which I showed but this was not OK and the 'official' said I'd have to go with him to my hotel. Then I remembered the warnings in the Guide Book about such scams and the fact that my host in La Paz, Diana, had been kidnapped and held until she gave her card and PIN number. So, I loudly and firmly said "This is not OK" a couple of times and suddenly both guys walked off and vanished quickly into the crowd outside. I was shaken, but none the worse for wear and the second time it happened I was almost laughing at the neat way it unfolded. The perpetrators are so very convincing it's hard to believe they are fake.